Animal
by Orange Lantern Tsume
Summary: Movieverse. Sabretooth joins the X-Men while Wolverine is with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants! What'll happen when everything clashes? R&R! COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Animal  
  
By Blackheart Syaoran  
  
AUTHOR: This is intended to be short and simple, and you WILL use your imaginations on a good deal of the story since I DO NOT feel like rewriting the entire movie.  
  
ENJOY!  
  
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Chapter 1  
  
  
  
  
  
Rogue glanced around the structure. It wasn't the best she had been in, but it was warm and she could stay here for a while. She heard shouting and followed some men walking into a separate room with an open doorway, and found a circular room with people sitting in a miniature stadium, watching a HUGE man fight a smaller but still muscular one.  
  
The bigger man had long, wild blond hair and firm muscles, and had to be at least seven feet tall. (AN: In the movie, Sabretooth is 7'-2'').  
  
The giant picked up the other man and shoved him into the cage post. The man slumped to the floor and didn't get up again.  
  
The announcer walked into the cage and held up the victor's hand. "The winner, and still King of the Cage, Sabretooth!" he declared dramatically.  
  
The crowd booed and hissed, but no one else stepped up to challenge the champion. Sabretooth growled and collected his winnings before getting some clothes on and going to the bar. Rogue idly wondered if he was a mutant too.  
  
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Logan HATED waiting. He liked to get straight to the action, to have some fun before time was up and he was needed elsewhere. But Magneto had ordered him to do the job, and he would do it.  
  
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The man sneered into Creed's ear, "I know what you are, freak."  
  
"You stay here, you lose more than your money," Creed warned.  
  
The man turned to leave but the spun around and produced a switchblade from his coat pocket.  
  
"Look out!" Rogue yelled to Creed.  
  
But Sabretooth had already smelled the man's change of scent, and would have gladly taken the wound to show how stupid a move it was to make on a person like himself.  
  
Creed spun around and knocked the knife out of the man's hand, and then used one hand to push and hold the fool against a wooden beam braced against the wall. He popped his claws, his anger rising from how long it had taken to make them sink into his fingers so that he looked more normal.  
  
"Want me to use these?" Creed asked maliciously. He heard a gun cock behind his head and could just make out the shotgun's barrel from the corner of his eye.  
  
"Get out of my bar, freak," the bartender warned.  
  
Creed's eyes flashed as he spun around in a split-second, his claws cutting through the barrel and making the weapon useless. He snarled at the two men as he picked up his bag and got into his truck.  
  
Rogue was gone.  
  
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The wind shifted again, and Logan picked up the scent assigned him. He smiled, ready to get to work.  
  
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Creed frowned and slowed the truck. He was SURE he had picked up another scent before he had left Loftland and he was sure it was familiar.  
  
He stopped and got out, walking to the back of the truck and to the (AN: What's it called?) where the scent was strongest. "All right, get out!" he ordered. "I know you're there!"  
  
The heavy blanket shifted and moved to reveal the girl he had seen in the bar, the one who thought she had warned him.  
  
"I was just looking for a ride," she said, almost pleading.  
  
"Use that thumb of yours on someone else," Creed said coldly as he got back into the driver's seat and began to leave.  
  
He scowled after a moment and stopped, letting the girl into the passenger seat.  
  
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"Got anything to eat?" the girl asked. Creed pulled a Hershey bar from the glove box.  
  
"Put your hands here---" he began, but broke off when she flinched away. "I won't hurt you."  
  
"It's not that," Rogue said. "It's just that when people touch my skin, they get hurt."  
  
"Hurt how?"  
  
"I don't really know, but the just conk out and I do whatever they can do."  
  
"Fair enough."  
  
She eyed his dog tags. "Did you get those in the Army? I thought you had to be in the Army to get those thing?"  
  
Creed tucked the dog tags under his shirt. "I don't know where I got those."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Someone messed with my head, big time. I don't even remember my own name."  
  
"Mine's Rogue."  
  
"What kind of a name is Rogue?"  
  
"Well, what kind of a name is Sabretooth?" she asked pointedly.  
  
"Far as I know, my name's Victor Creed."  
  
"Must be hard not knowing who you are."  
  
"Really hard."  
  
"Does it hurt when your claws come out?"  
  
"I can't really say. It hurt like hell making them go in, and that took a couple of weeks. Popping them out almost felt good."  
  
Rogue was quiet for a moment. "Shouldn't you be wearing your seatbelt?"  
  
"Look, kid, I don't need advice from---" He broke off when a tree fell into the road, the truck smashing into it and sending Creed flying through the windshield. He slid several yards forward from where he hit the ground and stopped, not moving.  
  
Rogue groaned and tried to move, but was stuck. She coughed when she inhaled some smoke coming from the small mobile home on the back of the truck. She looked out the windshield and watched in shock as Creed stood back up, scowling and cracking his neck as his head wound healed.  
  
"You okay?" he called, repeating his question when she didn't answer.  
  
"I'm stuck!"  
  
Creed walked towards the truck, but stopped when he saw the tree had a smooth cut. He looked around, trying to find the attacker.  
  
The trees exploded in a shower of snow as the white material was thrown off them when the attacker burst out at Creed, connecting with a right cross. The smaller man, who was very short compared to Creed, literally had a punch like a sledgehammer.  
  
Creed growled as he looked up at the man. Black hair in a strange yet incredible style, the midget clenched his fists and half a dozen 12-inch- long metal claw-blades popped out from between the knuckles of each hand.  
  
The midget grinned as he slashed Creed, the cage fighter still off-guard, and then picked up a piece of tree, whacking Creed HARD with it. Sabretooth stumbled but the midget grabbed his shirtfront and swung him, throwing him all the way back onto the hood of the truck. For a shrimp, he was TOUGH.  
  
Wolverine started towards the truck, but stopped when the wind began to push from behind, almost shoving him. He spun and found himself facing two people clad in black. The woman with white hair had an intense look of concentration on her face, and he male companion stepped forward, his black visor cracking open to reveal a blazing red energy.  
  
Wolverine saw the blast coming and jumped over it, retreating back into the woods. Cyclops and Storm paid him no more heed as they pulled Creed off the hood and freed Rogue, escaping just as the truck exploded.  
  
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AUTHOR: There's the first chapter! I hope everyone likes SOME of it!  
  
READ N REVIEW! 


	2. Chapter 2

Animal  
  
By Blackheart Syaoran  
  
AUTHOR: Thanks for the reviews, few though they were!  
  
NOTE: Read "Overthrow" for some pretty cool Marvel-VS-DC action!  
  
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Chapter 2  
  
  
  
  
  
Logan was fuming when he returned to the lair. His jacket was torn, needed to be fixed, his reputation as a "badass motherfucker" was dented, and he hadn't retrieved the mutant.  
  
Toad was crouching in front of a massive object, using a sprayer to paint it a deep green hue. As Logan stalked by, Toad stopped briefly. "Weren't you supposed to bring someone back with you?" he asked sardonically.  
  
Logan growled deep in his throat, warning Toad, and kept walking until he entered Magneto's chamber. The mutant overlord was sitting as hit desk, using his magnetic powers to work a set of metal balls. He looked up at Logan. "What happened?"  
  
"They knew."  
  
"So Charles has stopped me know, but the plan---" He broke off as he spotted a second pair of dog tags around Logan's neck. He used his powers to call them over. The name "Sabretooth" was on the dog tags. "Where is the mutant now?"  
  
"They have him. I'd go in, but..."  
  
It was obvious why Logan couldn't infiltrate the X-Men's mansion: He wasn't psychically protected.  
  
"Understood. Nevertheless, we will have our way. We have made the first move, and that is all the enemy knows. Now come; we must prepare for the plan's final stages." He walked to Toad's chamber, Logan snatching Creed's dog tags off the table.  
  
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Jean Grey raised an eyebrow as she examined the claws at Creed's fingertips. Quite animalistic, in her opinion. She had no doubt they were rather lethal.  
  
Grabbing a syringe, Jean reached for the small bottle of sedative---and mentally cursed. She had left the bottle aboard the Blackbird! Putting the syringe down next to Creed's prone form, hurrying to the X-Men's private jet. The bottle was still in a cupboard aboard the jet, and she power walked back to the infirmary with it.  
  
Just as she entered the room, however, something powerful slammed into the side of her head and sent her flying into the wall to her right, head ringing. She began to black out, and slowly did.  
  
Creed snarled and looked around his new surroundings. He was in some kind of a hi-tech facility, maybe for keeping captive mutants, he had no idea. Running down the hall to an open elevator, he tried to form a plan. Rogue was somewhere near, he was sure. He had picked up her scent on the redheaded woman, and he needed to get the both of them out of this place.  
  
The elevator opened and he peeked out, sniffing the air to prevent surprise attacks. Finding no one, he strode quickly down the hall, passing what looked to be classrooms with students. Did this place have a secret, or did it just train mutant hunters?  
  
He picked up a strong scent, Rogue's, and moved faster. The scent led to a plain wooden door, and Creed's arm rose as he prepared to cut the door down, but something unexpected happened.  
  
'That really isn't necessary,' a calm, deep voice told him in his head. Creed started and spun around, trying to scent the speaker. But there was no one around!  
  
'I'm with Rogue, beyond the door. But please don't break it down, otherwise I would have to ask for a new one from you.'  
  
Creed snorted as he worked the door open awkwardly, his claws causing a brief moment of confusion. When he entered the room, he found Rogue sitting in a chair in front of a desk, a bald man in a wheelchair behind the desk.  
  
"Victor, how good of you to join us," the man said calmly. "I've just been talking to Rogue here about your rescue. I wonder if you have any new information to add?"  
  
"Who are you people?"  
  
"Professor Charles Xavier. My people helped you and Rogue when you needed it. Caught off-guard by your attacker, you were in poor condition when we arrived."  
  
"My attacker? The runt?"  
  
"A mutant called Wolverine. You saw his weapons, I assume?"  
  
Creed laughed. "Wolverine? I'd tell you not to make me laugh, but it's a little late for that. The runt won't be so lucky next time."  
  
The door burst open, and a white man with a pair of red glasses and a black woman with a full head of pure-white hair entered. "Professor!" the man said. "He's---" He spotted Creed glaring at him. "---loose."  
  
"I know," Xavier said calmly. "Victor and I were merely talking. Victor, this is Scott Summers and Ororo Munroe, two of my first students."  
  
"Your little X-Men?" Creed snorted. "I'm getting a real sense of humor lately."  
  
"This is no joking matter," the professor said. "Wolverine was after the both of you, and I have no real idea why. Until I can rout Magneto, the both of you will have to be guests here."  
  
"What in the hell is a Magneto?" Creed asked.  
  
"A very powerful and very dangerous mutant. He wants to make mutants the dominant life-form on Earth, and seems to stop at nothing in order to do so."  
  
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Senator Robert Kelly waved to the crowd as he stood up at the podium. Everyone quieted enough for him to speak, and he began.  
  
"My fellow Americans, the mutant menace is beginning to grow out of proportion. Our very children are turning into maniacal, super-powered abominations in front of our eyes!" The crowd cheered wildly. "I propose a very reasonable act: Register and deal with all mutants, whether curing them of their genetic deviations or, sadly, disposing of them for both their good and the good of the world itself!"  
  
The crowd cheered again and again during the speech, and when he finished, they were even more on his side. Kelly waved as he boarded his copter and it rose off, headed back to Washington.  
  
"You made a real impression with this one, sir," his aide, Henry Peter Gyrich, said. "I think they make you President if you keep pushing them."  
  
"These people are horrified of what they don't understand," Kelly said. "They'll get on their knees and beg me to solve their problems---and mutants are a very big problem. Those freaks are everywhere, and they only destroy things. No control over their powers, my ass."  
  
He glanced out the window. "Where the heck are we?" He turned back to Gyrich, but the other's skin was turning blue and his clothes were becoming scaled skin.  
  
"Headed somewhere secluded, for a very different speech," the shape-shifter told him. Kelly bolted for the cockpit, but the woman flew forward and kicked him, causing his head to hit the bulkhead and knock him out.  
  
Mystique sneered as she got to the cockpit and sat down next to Toad. "I despise that bastard."  
  
"You and me both, sweets."  
  
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AUTHOR: Second chapter is finished!  
  
READ N REVIEW, SAME FOR "OVERTHROW" FOR MARVEL-VS-DC! 


	3. Chapter 3

Animal  
  
By Blackheart Syaoran  
  
AUTHOR: THANKS for the reviews, all!  
  
TO Linda J: Not really; I just like Sabretooth.  
  
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Chapter 3  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Senator Kelly felt like his head was pounding, and he blinked to clear the fog in his head. He looked around, spotting several people: The woman from the copter, a short yet tough-looking man, and a man crouching on a boulder.  
  
The last one eyed a pigeon for a second before lashing out with his tongue, pulling the bird into his mouth. Kelly felt like throwing up.  
  
"Toad has a wicked tongue, Senator, much like your own," a firm voice said. A tall, older man approached him, wearing civilian's clothes. "I trust you are enjoying your stay among us?"  
  
"Who the hell are you people?" Kelly demanded. "And where am I?"  
  
"You are in no position to make any demands, Senator. You ARE at our mercy, after all." The man turned and began to walk away, and Kelly's metal chair dragged along the path, pulled by some force. "But since you wish to know who we are, I will tell you."  
  
The man turned dramatically and said with a proud note, "We are the Brotherhood of Mutants, and we would like to discuss some things with you."  
  
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Creed stared at Scott. "Are you nuts?"  
  
"No."  
  
"You must be if you want me to help these little kids with their training. I know squat about that sort of stuff."  
  
"We have a handful with powers just like yours, so just tell them what you know. We're a little shorthanded today."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"The professor didn't mention, but we would all like it if you would help us a little."  
  
"Fine. We are the little runts?"  
  
"Do you treat everyone as if they were runts?"  
  
"Look at me: I'm seven-two and have a killer rep and style."  
  
"Point taken," Scott admitted.  
  
Creed tightened his ponytail and walked over to the group of youngsters. 'God, I'm going to die out here.' (AN: If you are wondering about the ponytail, think Age of Apocalypse).  
  
"Look, I have no idea what I'm doing, so could you kids just play nice or something?" Creed asked.  
  
"You mean you're not even a sub?" one youth asked.  
  
"I only got here a few days ago."  
  
"Fresh meat," another kid said, as they all closed in on Creed.  
  
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'I'm going to die here, I just know it,' Kelly thought. He banged his head against the bars that prevented him from escaping into the ocean. But when he opened his eyes, he found that his head was beyond the bars. 'I can't believe it.'  
  
Kelly didn't waste time, quickly squeezing himself through the narrow bars. He heard metal clinking together---Magneto was coming for him.  
  
The mutant overlord was in front of Wolverine as he came to Kelly's cell. "Feeling rested, Senator?" he asked, but found no one in the room. Glaring at the barred window, he ripped it open with his powers and looked down. "Senator, really."  
  
"You people are insane!" Kelly called.  
  
"You really need to be more careful," Magneto said, moving away so that Logan could reach out and grab Kelly back up. Wolverine snatched his hand, but Kelly's skin seemed to be made of rubber, and he slipped, falling into the ocean.  
  
Wolverine scowled and turned to Magneto. The mastermind had a dark look and left, closing the bars and leaving Logan inside the cell.  
  
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"Okay," Scott said, trying VERY hard to be patient, "tell me one more time what happened."  
  
"They all ganged up on me and I sort of defended myself," Creed said simply.  
  
"Victor, you practically killed them."  
  
"They have healing factors."  
  
"That's beside the point!"  
  
"I thought you wanted me to teach them something?"  
  
"Not by tearing them apart!"  
  
"Well, I taught them not to mess with Sabretooth."  
  
Scott sighed, exasperated, and stalked off. Creed was heading to his own when he saw Ororo coming over to him. "Something wrong?"  
  
"Rogue's missing."  
  
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AUTHOR: Suspense!  
  
READ N REVIEW! 


	4. Chapter 4

Animal  
  
By Blackheart Syaoran  
  
AUTHOR: I'm in a pissy mood, so don't push my buttons. Thanks for reviewing, sorry for waiting, so on and so forth.  
  
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Chapter 4  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"She couldn't have just vanished!" Creed hissed as he stalked into the lower levels of the Institute. "You have to have some idea of where she's gotten to!"  
  
"We don't!" Ororo said, jogging to keep pace with the huge man. "She just disappeared!"  
  
"What happened?" Scott asked as he looked from the screen to the two people. (AN: He's in the room where they were looking at the x-rays.)  
  
"Rogue," Creed growled. "She's missing."  
  
Xavier reached out with his mind, searching, finding nothing. "She is gone. I cannot locate her anywhere on these grounds."  
  
"Should we use Cerebro?" Jean asked tensely. They were still making some finer adjustments to the mutant-locating device.  
  
"At this time, under these circumstances, I believe we must."  
  
The small group headed for the egg of a chamber and the professor entered, leaving the others outside.  
  
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"She is right where we want her," Magneto said softly from his perch atop the train station. "Toad, Wolverine, make sure we are not interrupted this time."  
  
The two toadies nodded and left, leaving the Master of Magnetism to his own devices.  
  
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"You found her?" Creed asked gruffly.  
  
Xavier nodded. "She's at the train station, preparing to leave. I sensed much sorrow in her mind before I withdrew."  
  
Creed strode off quickly, leaving the X-Men to rush after him.  
  
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Rogue felt jealousy all the time now, ever since her powers manifested themselves. She would probably never be able to touch someone without committing manslaughter.  
  
"This seat taken?" a familiar voice asked.  
  
Rogue blinked in surprise at the 7'-2" form of Victor Creed as he towered above her, and then sat in the vacant seat. "Where did you plan on going?"  
  
"Somewhere."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Rogue struggled to speak, it was so painful. "Someone at the Institute told me that I should have more control than that. They said the professor was furious."  
  
"What?" Creed said, taken aback.  
  
"I tripped and hit my forehead against someone, and I took a lot out of them. They might be in a coma for a long while."  
  
"The professor didn't know you left until I said something."  
  
Rogue blinked. "What?"  
  
"Someone lied to you." (AN: No, I am not quoting Spider-Man.)  
  
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Ororo had been talking to the man inside the booth, describing Rogue to him, when she was attacked from behind.  
  
Short though he was, no one in their right mind would dare mess with Wolverine if they only stood a chance of winning. He stalked up behind Ororo, shoving anyone out of his way. When he had reached her, he grabbed the wind-rider around the neck and spun her to face him, lifting her off the floor.  
  
"Hey, darlin'," he said gruffly. "Long time, no see. I still recall when you and One-Eye tried to fry me back in the Canadian woods. So romantic."  
  
Ororo said nothing, being slowly choked.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
From where he stood, Scott heard sounds of an altercation and moved to see better. He spotted Storm being choked to death by Wolverine, and picked up his pace.  
  
He hadn't gotten far when a whip of some sort came out of nowhere, smacked his visors off, and retracted. Scott twisted his head, looking for the attacker, but his eyes were unshielded, and the energy beams ripped through the train station ceiling easily, debris falling everywhere.  
  
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Storm concentrated to her fullest extent despite her lightheadedness, calling for help...  
  
Thunder crashed, and as Wolverine looked up, a bolt of lightning threw itself at him, blasting him off the woman and through the air, its power magnified by the adamantium his skeleton was laced thick with.  
  
Smashing through a wall, he lay there as Toad dropped on top of him.  
  
"Quit playing around; we got work," he said before leaping off.  
  
Wolverine snarled.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
The train screeched to an abrupt halt after just starting to pull out.  
  
Every piece of metal seemed to rattle, and some luggage glued itself to the walls. One end of the train was apparently ripping itself apart and opening up, allowing a single man to float down into the aisle.  
  
"Ah, you must be Sabretooth," Magneto said calmly, smirking a little.  
  
"Right as rain, buttercup," Creed growled back.  
  
"I would greatly appreciate it if you did not attempt to stop me. I try to avoid harming fellow mutants when the chance provides itself."  
  
"You're funny," Creed snarled as he popped his claws.  
  
But Magneto had other plans. He opened up his cape to reveal a pair of what looked like syringes and one detached itself from his belt, stabbing into Creed before he could dodge. It only took a moment for his mind to go hazy, and he dropped to his knees, vaguely aware that Rogue was trying to keep him awake.  
  
A second thud as the other syringe went into her, making her pass out.  
  
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Magneto led the way as Wolverine carried Rogue over his shoulder, Toad on the overlord's other side. Parked all over the front purchase was a full squad of policeman, all of them armed.  
  
"Hold it right there!" one shouted through a megaphone. "Put the hostage down and put your arms in the air!"  
  
Magneto frowned, and then gestured with both hands as he lifted two cruisers easily up, bringing them down onto two more.  
  
Stunned only for a moment, the police resumed their positions, cocking their firearms.  
  
"You humans and your guns," Magneto sneered as he jerked every weapon from its user, and then whipped them around. All the officers froze, horrified at being killed by their own guns.  
  
Toad abruptly put Magneto into a headlock. "That's enough, Erik."  
  
"Let them go," Wolverine said.  
  
Magneto searched with his eyes. "Come out so I can see you, Charles!"  
  
Toad's grip tightened a little. "What do you want with the girl?"  
  
"Read my mind and see for yourself," Magneto said coldly. "Release me or you may see more than that."  
  
Toad did nothing.  
  
Magneto scowled. "Fine."  
  
A single gun fired, its bullet slowly drilling into the forehead of its former user.  
  
"Choose, Charles. I don't think I can stop them all."  
  
After a long moment, Toad released his grip, and joined Wolverine. Magneto heard Mystique approaching in the helicopter and it landed, the terrorists boarding it and flying off.  
  
In his car, Xavier felt as though he were made of solid lead, unable to do anything.  
  
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AUTHOR: Sorry for the wait, but not many people were reviewing this story, so I stopped it.  
  
READ N REVIEW! 


	5. Chapter 5

Animal  
  
By Blackheart Syaoran  
  
AUTHOR: Sorry for the wait and thanks for reviewing!  
  
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Chapter 5  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Creed splashed water on his face, dried it with a towel, and turned an angry look at the X-Men. "You said he wanted the both of us, not just Rogue."  
  
"I made a terrible mistake; I'm sorry. His helmet is designed to block my telepathy. I couldn't see what he was after until it was too late."  
  
Creed glared. "I'd say that's about right."  
  
"Give the professor a break!" Scott said. "It isn't his fault!"  
  
"Then it must be yours," Creed hissed, taking a step forward.  
  
"Stop it!" Jean snapped. "We won't solve anything this way!"  
  
"Jean's right," Ororo nodded.  
  
"Well, I've had enough of 'your way,'" Creed sneered. "I'm doing things my way."  
  
He turned and stalked out of the room, intent on leaving.  
  
"Creed, wait!" Ororo called, catching up to him. "You can't possibly find Rogue on your own! Magneto isn't that easy to find!"  
  
"Oh, then you must know where he is!" Creed snapped, and Ororo didn't answer. "I thought so. If I don't find them, they'll find me."  
  
He opened up the door and froze. Standing before him, panting heavily and about to pass out, was Senator Robert Kelly.  
  
"I'm looking for Dr. Jean Grey," Kelly managed to wheeze out before collapsing like a sack of dirt.  
  
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Senator Kelly was closely examined, and what the heroes found shocked them.  
  
"He's a mutant," Jean said. "He has the power of extraordinary adaptability. He can bend and shape his body in just about any way."  
  
"But?" Xavier asked.  
  
"But the mutation is unnatural, so his body is beginning to fall apart. He's liquidating right in front of us."  
  
"His cells can't handle the change, so they're breaking up," Ororo said. "Horrible."  
  
"Well, I think we've all gotten a preview of what Metal-Head wants," Creed said. "How do we stop it?"  
  
"While there is no effect on mutants," Xavier said, "there exists no cure for it that I could find. Experimenting will take far too much time, and Magneto will strike soon."  
  
"So what do we do, Professor?" Scott asked.  
  
"Simple: We must find Magneto before he uses his machine," Xavier answered.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
On Liberty Island, a guard on patrol saw a boat coming in and waved to its captain. The captain waved back, and the first guard was about to leave when several sharp things spiked from his chest.  
  
Wolverine sneered as he let the guard crumple, and threw the body into the waters. He turned and went to dispose of any more guards.  
  
On the boat, Mystique changed back to her normal self and smirked. The plan was going smoothly and they would soon change the world.  
  
Rogue sat in the rear, behind Mystique's position, handcuffed to the metal rail.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
"Can't believe you guys go out in this crap," Creed said.  
  
"What would prefer?" Cyclops asked. "Orange and brown spandex?"  
  
Creed glared at the leader of the X-Men as Cyclops set the Blackbird down on Liberty Island---with a bump.  
  
"Nice landing," Creed sniped.  
  
"Just be quiet," Jean said stiffly.  
  
They disembarked and trekked over to the Statue of Liberty, entering silently. Creed took point, sniffing the air, and freezing.  
  
"What is it?" Cyclops asked.  
  
"We're not alone. Someone's here with us."  
  
The X-Men glanced around but saw nothing.  
  
"Stay here," Creed said.  
  
"Sabretooth!" Cyclops hissed as the large man stalked off into the shadows.  
  
No one moved for a moment until Sabretooth came stalking back.  
  
"Find anything?" Cyclops asked.  
  
"Yeah---this fraud!" Sabretooth's voice roared from behind the Sabretooth that the X-Men were facing. Incredibly, a second Sabretooth lunged out of nowhere and tackled the first into a small room, the door slamming shut as the doorstopper was knocked loose.  
  
"Well, this is just perfect," Cyclops groaned.  
  
They proceeded on, looking for any sign of their comrade. Jean kept scanning the area and noticed---  
  
"Duck!" she yelled, and did so.  
  
Cyclops turned around, looking for a target, and just saw Toad go flying overhead. The terrorist stopped just beyond Cyclops, and kicked him into an exhibit. He dropped from where he hung and wrapped his tongue around Storm's wrist, whipping her up onto the second level.  
  
Jean used her powers to throw a pedestal at Toad, but he dodged and spit some green slime in her face. She fell onto her back, clutching uselessly at her face.  
  
Toad grinned and climbed up to where Storm was. She landed a punch, but it barely fazed him; his face was like a scaly marshmallow.  
  
Hopping straight up, Toad kicked Storm way back. She hit the back of the elevator shaft and dropped down.  
  
Toad kicked up the metal bar keeping the doors open, twirling it like a martial artist, and the doors closed.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Cyclops blew open the exhibit door and it crashed against the far wall. Ready for action, he looked around and spotted Jean struggling with Toad's slime. It had hardened on her face and he rushed to her.  
  
"Jean, hold still!" he said, backing up. Opening his visor just barely, he fired a weak optic blast at her face, cracking the hardened slime and letting her breathe again.  
  
Up on the second level, Toad was preparing to jump on them both when he heard a rumbling like thunder in the shaft. Turning his head, his eyes widened slightly when the doors opened and Storm levitated out. Her eyes were solid white, and she looked pissed.  
  
Stalking toward her, he called, "Don't you people ever die?"  
  
In answer, powerful winds picked up and began shoving him backwards. He tried to keep from being blown away, but souvenirs were hitting him, and then a desk collided with his body and sent him through the glass onto the balcony. He flew over the railing and snagged it with his tongue.  
  
Storm strode onto the balcony, staring at Toad. She looked upwards and a lightning bolt presented itself, arcing down and striking the railing. Electrocuted, Toad released his grip and flew out to see.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
Sabretooth swiped at Mystique, who had resumed her natural form early in the fight. She blocked his blow and countered with a double kick, knocking him back. He lunged for her again, and he rolled forward, letting him sail over her as she grabbed a pipe running up the wall.  
  
He turned to rush her again as she hoisted herself up into the shadows. Snarling, he searched around to try and see her, but she was gone.  
  
'Door!'  
  
He opened it and found the main hallways, and began searching for his teammates. Storm saw him and hurried over.  
  
"Sabretooth, what happened to your double?" she asked.  
  
"Just this," he said, and drove his claws into her gut before she could react. Mystique melted back into herself as she collapsed.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
"Can you hear that?" Cyclops asked. "Sounds like...screaming."  
  
"Rogue's in there," Jean said, pointing to the torch.  
  
They all looked to the torch, which seemed innocent enough, save for the girl's screams.  
  
Abruptly, the chamber around them began vibrating, and the scraps of metal began attacking the X-Men. Storm and Jean were the first pinned to the wall, and Cyclops managed to blast a few pieces apart before the same happened to him.  
  
Sabretooth resisted the metal, his incredible strength keeping him free. Without warning, the scraps he held changed direction, and he was pulled out the massive gash in the statue's head.  
  
"Sabretooth!" Storm yelled futilely.  
  
"He should have surrendered," Magneto said calmly as he floated down into the head. Wolverine dropped down from above, and watched the X-Men closely.  
  
Magneto walked over to the X-Men, Wolverine a step ahead. The feral man pulled the visor from Scott's eyes, forcing him to close them.  
  
"Storm," Cyclops said.  
  
"I really wouldn't do that," Magneto said, calm as ever. "This statue is really nothing more than a giant copper conductor."  
  
"Your machine won't work, Magneto," Storm said. "Senator Kelly survived his escape from you, but was liquidated from that device."  
  
Magneto studied her. "Perhaps, and perhaps not. If that tale of yours is true, then the world will learn the most valuable lesson ever when harming mutants."  
  
"You're mad," Cyclops said.  
  
"And you won't get away with this," Jean added.  
  
Magneto laughed at that. "I thought you lived in that institute?"  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Sabretooth could just make out Magneto ranting on about how righteous his act was. The mutant waited for the overlord to get done, and that did happen. Magneto flew up to the torch and entered a small door.  
  
Sabretooth took the chance and crawled to the opening in the head. He saw Wolverine advancing on Storm, the man's claws popped.  
  
"Wonder how bad you scream," Wolverine was saying as Sabretooth dropped behind him. Surprised, the smaller mutant whirled while Sabretooth snagged the visor from his pocket. Grabbing Wolverine by the waist of his pants, Sabretooth tossed him overhead and out the gash.  
  
"Runt," he muttered.  
  
Wolverine scraped the side of the statue as he fell, trying to get a hold and stop himself. He hit the base and stopped cold, groaning and rolling over, healing factor kicking in.  
  
In the head, Sabretooth put the visor back on Cyclops and bent the metal until the others were free.  
  
"Now how do we stop that?" Sabretooth asked, pointing at the machine, which was in full swing.  
  
"I can use a blast, but it's risky," Cyclops said.  
  
"Storm?" Sabretooth asked.  
  
"Lightning could do the job," she answered.  
  
"I've got Magneto in my sights," Cyclops said. "I'm firing."  
  
A streak of crimson ripped across the sky and nailed Magneto in the back, knocking him out cold.  
  
A moment later, a loud crack of thunder sounded, and lightning slammed into the machine. A massive shower of sparks erupted, and the machine began to slowly stop.  
  
"Creed, wait!" Cyclops said. "What are you doing?"  
  
"She isn't moving!" the other called back as he raced to the ruined machine. "My healing factor's the only thing that could save her!"  
  
Climbing into what was left of the device, Sabretooth hurried over to Rogue, who was passed out. He checked for a pulse and found none.  
  
"Kid, God, I'm so sorry," he managed to whisper and he touched foreheads with her---and noticed he was getting weaker. He felt his life draining out of him and into her, and let more go. His vision going black, he collapsed as Rogue groaned.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
The gang was all back at the institute, and Creed was talking to Xavier.  
  
"What happened to the Brotherhood?"  
  
"Toad and Mystique have vanished entirely," the professor answered. "Wolverine made a scene while escaping; he killed several people."  
  
Creed growled in his throat.  
  
"Magneto is in a special prison, from which it will be most difficult to escape."  
  
"And Rogue?"  
  
"She is to stay here until her education is finished, unless you want to take her in yourself. You're certainly welcome to."  
  
Creed shrugged. "Last time I did, I got into this mess."  
  
Xavier chuckled. "And Ororo?"  
  
Creed stared at him. "What about her?"  
  
"Jean told me about the emotional spike you had when you saw Wolverine advancing on her," Xavier winked. "I think we both know what that all means."  
  
Creed glared at the man. "Watch it, baldy."  
  
Xavier chuckled. "I'll let you decide whether or not to tell her how you feel."  
  
Creed left the office and went to the lounge, where the rest of the X-Men were watching a news broadcast of Senator Kelly.  
  
"Son of a bitch," Scott said. "Mystique's alive."  
  
"So? Sounds like she's a bit reformed," Creed said. "Or at least she wants to reform the Senator's image."  
  
"That would be a good thing," Ororo said as she stood and approached him. Creed's skin started to prickle and he felt like fainting.  
  
"You know, Jean hinted about what you were feeling," Ororo said.  
  
"And?"  
  
"And?" Ororo repeated. "You were pretending to be worried about me?"  
  
'Careful, Vic, she sounds pissed,' his mind said. "I was, yeah."  
  
Ororo smirked. "Want to talk about it?" she asked, and pulled him by the shirt to her room.  
  
'Score!' he thought before it started.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
AUTHOR: I hope that implication was enough for everyone.  
  
READ N REVIEW! 


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